Two days ago, we got another inch of snow. We were supposed to get some last night, but didn't. Michael got about half way to work and down the snow came. It has snowed really hard here and we probably got another inch or two. Here are some pictures from today. You can see the icicles hanging down on the second picture.
Do you have friends you can totally be yourself with? Do you have friendships where you feel like you are a Paul to a Timothy? Do you have friendships where you feel like you are a Timothy to a Paul? How about those Barnabas relationships... the friend who walks along with you and encourages you on the journey? I think it is important to have all three types going at the same time. There are those who look up to you and call you for advice and prayer requests, etc. They want to learn from you. Then there are friends that you want to learn from and who you call for advice and prayer requests. Then there are those friends who walk along with you at the point you are at. It is very hard to find the older women talked about in Titus 2 to go to. There are very few older men, who are walking their faith out based on the Bible and not what is normal in todays society, for men to go to. We need to be this for the next generation. We need to share truth with them even if it is hard truth. We need to encourage them. We need to be there to help them when their children are small and they feel overwhelmed. We need to teach them how to be that for the next generation.
With all that being said, how do you start? I feel so inadequate for the task before me. I feel like in so many areas we have been a transitional generation. We want to be family oriented and not let each family member go their own way and do their own thing. We think home school is the best way for schooling. We feel like the dads should lead the home and we as their wives, need to be their best manager. How do you teach that when you struggle with it yourself? The Lord has brought me a long way in that area, yet I still have a ways to go. My heart is willing, but it is not always my "reaction". We think babies are gifts and blessings from God that we are entrusted with to raise up as a mighty army for the Lord. I am barren with one child by adoption. How am I to understand or even to have the young mother think I understand. We like to be as God reliant as we can be by growing and raising as much of our own food as possible. These are all areas we feel strongly about. In other words in todays world we are weird. Even in the Christian spheres we are weird.
I need to pray and continue to strengthen my walk with the Lord. I need to continue to hide His Word in my heart to be ready with truth. I need to continually be allowing the Lord to do His work in my life, to mature me, to grow me. I need to be willing to be available. I will need lots of prayer. Do you have an older woman in your life who can help you? If so share the blessing of that relationship with us.
2 comments:
Hi Marci,
Although I am older than you, you have mentored me in the area of homesteading. I have gained a lot of knowledge through you, and am very thankful for your friendship!
At times I have been placed in the position of "mentoring" a younger woman with younger children than ours, but the problem comes in when they just want to express frustrations and not want any suggestions of possible solutions. That is frustrating to me. Do you just listen, and pray for an opening some day?
I remember when I was yonger it did help me a lot to have someone to hear my "frustrations". I did not always take the advice given, sometimes because I wasn't quite ready to hear it, and sometimes I wasn't quite ready to do it; but often it would come back to my mind at a future date. Sometimes the Lord plants seeds that take awhile to germinate. Sometimes I just had to hear the same thing from a couple different sources for it to make sense. And sometimes I just needed a little time to get my ducks in a row.
So don't be discouraged in mentoring the younger women. Some of my best examples weren't so much the specific solution offered as much as the example of seeing another taking their problems to the Lord. Some of my most powerful mentors just prayed with me. Others I just watched their life over time to see the fruit in their own homes.
Blessings,
Patti
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